Media release – Bicycle Network, 5 June 2024
Bicycle rider numbers back to pre-COVID levels
This year’s Super Tuesday commuter count has shown the number of bicycle riders is back to pre-COVID levels in Hobart and female riders have embraced e-bikes.
“For the years following COVID lockdowns we saw a dip in the number of people riding in that 7–9am peak, but this year’s Super Tuesday count shows numbers have rebounded,” Bicycle Network spokesperson Alison Hetherington said.
“The city centre has led the charge with many intersections recording higher than average totals and Molle and Collins streets and Bathurst and Elizabeth streets the highest numbers recorded in the past decade.
“The number of bicycle movements through intersections increased from 2651 in 2023 to 3793 this year, while the number of e-scooter movements remained the same at 460.
“This was the first year we noted if riders were on standard bikes or e-bikes. Close to 1 in 4 riders were on an e-bike at 23% of all bikes ridden.
“Women made up 43% of e-bike riders, which is a big increase on the number of women riding a standard bike at only 24%.
“This is not surprising as e-bikes help riders to carry more, including small children, and get to their destination without sweating. In some ways, they can make up for poor infrastructure that normally turns women off riding.’
Cycling South chairperson and Kingborough Councillor, Amanda Midgley, said Super Tuesday helped the greater Hobart councils plan cycling routes that cross council borders.
“The count data gives us the evidence we need to plan dedicated cycling infrastructure and assess the success of infrastructure that has been built,” Councillor Midgley said.
“For instance, we’ve seen a 33% increase in the number of riders moving between the Queens Domain and city centre since the Rose Garden Bridge was finished and we’ll be watching Campbell Street numbers over the next few years now the protected bike lane has been installed.”
Super Tuesday annual commuter counts are carried out by Bicycle Network volunteers at more than 50 intersections across greater Hobart on the first Tuesday of March every year. The count sites are commissioned by the local councils that make up Cycling South.
